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The Second Renaissance: Shadows of gold
In a world after a nuclear cataclysm, humanity has barricaded itself behind the borders of the Oasis — the last green paradise, heavily guarded and built upon a single “truth”: beyond it, there is no life. No humans. No animals. And above all — no hybrids. But when Lucy Gilmore, a young marine biology lab assistant raised to distrust authority, uncovers a classified letter and photographs hidden in an old archive, the myth begins to crack. Somewhere out there, Alexandria exists.
As Lucy races to stay ahead of the Guardians and piece together the truth from scattered evidence, far from the tropical shores of the Oasis, in the desert city of Cairo, the Temple of Bastet is rebuilding after the fall of its tyrannical High Priestess. There, Shani — an unwilling symbol of hope — feels something ancient stirring when the sky splits with fire and a “meteor” crashes into the heart of the city. In its wake remain golden particles, an unexplained transformation… and danger. Someone is hunting immortality. Someone is collecting the “gold” — at any cost.
Shadows of Gold is a tense fantasy adventure grounded in scientifically plausible hypotheses of evolution, culturology, anthropology, and linguistics, colliding them with mythology, secret societies, and the power of legend. It is a story about how “official truths” are born, how they are upheld through fear and science… and how a single spark is enough to ignite a revolution.
PART II of The Second Renaissance series — and the next step toward the danger hidden behind the Great Phoenix.
As Lucy races to stay ahead of the Guardians and piece together the truth from scattered evidence, far from the tropical shores of the Oasis, in the desert city of Cairo, the Temple of Bastet is rebuilding after the fall of its tyrannical High Priestess. There, Shani — an unwilling symbol of hope — feels something ancient stirring when the sky splits with fire and a “meteor” crashes into the heart of the city. In its wake remain golden particles, an unexplained transformation… and danger. Someone is hunting immortality. Someone is collecting the “gold” — at any cost.
Shadows of Gold is a tense fantasy adventure grounded in scientifically plausible hypotheses of evolution, culturology, anthropology, and linguistics, colliding them with mythology, secret societies, and the power of legend. It is a story about how “official truths” are born, how they are upheld through fear and science… and how a single spark is enough to ignite a revolution.
PART II of The Second Renaissance series — and the next step toward the danger hidden behind the Great Phoenix.
905 pages, Paperback
Published February 10, 2026
About the author
Joana Atanasova
3 books1 followerJust a general degenerate that likes languages, anthropology, and other ancient, dusty stuff.
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